Mary and Joseph’s faith traditions told them that the child was a gift from God. Listening to the wisdom of their history, Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple. Sr. Thea Bowman writes that it’s fitting that we call to mind black history and present the legacy of black life to God on this Feast of the Presentation. Like Mary and Joseph, we are doing today what the wisdom of our cultural and faith traditions have told us to do, for we live at a time in human history when it is clear that we need to remember the heritage that lives on is us. It didn’t matter to Mary and Joseph that when they got to the Temple it was only a simple old man and a feeble old woman who recognized the presence of God in their child. They didn’t need the recognition of the high priest or the approval of the chief magistrate to know that Jesus was a gift from God. It seems to me that our ancestors had a “Mary and Joseph way of looking at things.” It didn’t matter to our ancestors that their children were born in the stable of a hostile society. They shared their belief in a God who could make a way out of no way. God has spoken to the world through us. He has made himself present to the world through us. So we gather in God’s house, just as Mary and Joseph did, to give praise with our thanksgiving. Knowing the wisdom of our ancestors who did with us what Mary and Joseph had done, we present our history and our lives before the altar and say thank you to God.